Lagos (Nigeria): A Medical Imaging Scientist, Dr Livinus Abonyi, has decried the persistent lack of bed spaces in public hospitals, calling on government at all levels to prioritise budget/resources allocation to the nation’s health sector.
Abonyi, the Head of the Radiography Department at Lagos College of Medicine, made the call in an interview on Thursday in Lagos.
He spoke in commemoration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day Celebration on Oct. 1
Abonyi described the persistent limited bed spaces across public health facilities in the country as “worrisome”, calling for urgent action to address the situation.
He lamented that the problem of limited bed space had led to the loss of many lives, which would have been saved by urgent medical attention.
“It calls for serious concern that a person under a critical emergency health condition is rushed to a public health facility, and the patient will not be admitted/attended to due to lack of bed space.
“There is still the possibility of the same ‘no bed-space’ in the following two other public hospitals where the patient might be referred to.
“Many preventable deaths have occurred during the process of moving patients from one hospital to another, seeking where there is bed space.
“The situation is as bad as that. Why is there always no bed space in public health institutions?” Abonyi asked.
The scientist urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to increase resources for public health facilities, including the procurement of equipment, materials, and tools, as well as overall maintenance of the hospitals.
According to him, if the government makes it a point of duty to provide at least 50 bed spaces annually, the shortage of bed spaces in public health institutions will be a thing of the past sooner or later.
“The public health institutions need to be put in the right shape, making them up and running at all times.
“If the government should make it a point of duty to provide at least 50 bed spaces every year, within a short time, the shortage of bed spaces in public health institutions will become a forgotten issue.
“And it’s a matter of good leadership and better management for these to be achieved,” he said.
Abonyi, who frowned at the rate at which health practitioners were leaving the country to practise abroad, urged the government to do everything possible to halt the trend.
According to him, the migration translates to a severe lack of workforce in health institutions, loss of lives, and a significant workload on the few available health practitioners.
He emphasised the need for the government to improve and prioritise the welfare of health workers, listing the provision of medical equipment/materials, as well as the building of more health facilities, as areas where the government should intervene.